CrossFit Games 2020: Noah Ohlsen considered quitting competitions before finishing second in 2019; now he is armed with a new mindset
- Noah Ohlsen doubted whether he belonged at the top of CrossFit, just before he almost claimed the title of Fittest on Earth
Doubts were preying on Noah Ohlsen’s mind – questioning his place in the sport – during the build-up to the 2019 CrossFit Games. But he banished his negativity once and for all, surprising even himself to come within a whisker of winning.
The Florida athlete had a torrid year in 2019. First, he missed out of an automatic Games spot through the Open by finishing 60th. Then he struggled at the Wodapalooza and Italian sanctionals. Finally, he came eighth, one of his worst finishes at a CrossFit-sanctioned event, at the Rouge Invitationals, which was his last event before the Games.
“I was really questioning myself – ‘man, do I belong at the top? How much longer can I physically do this? How much longer do I mentally want to do this?’ It was a shaky period from May to August [when the Games started],” Ohlsen, 28, said.
But it was this run of poor results that liberated him and allowed him to produce the best performance of his life. Ohlsen held the lead until the final day of the CrossFit Games, when it was snatched away by eventual winner Mat Fraser.
“I made the decision that if it was my final CrossFit Games, I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible,” he said. “That helped me get into a really positive mindset, zoom out and really enjoy the experience. That helped me get on the podium.”
